


Inevitable

by hollyandvice (hiasobi_writes)



Series: Holly's Round Eight H/C Bingo Card [23]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Allergies, Aphrodisiacs, Dubious Consent, M/M, Outing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-01
Updated: 2017-08-01
Packaged: 2018-12-09 13:41:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,393
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11670246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hiasobi_writes/pseuds/hollyandvice
Summary: Jack draws back long enough to stagger the last twenty yards to his quarters. He fumbles the door open and crosses the room before all but throwing Daniel on the bed. He takes a brief moment to admire the sight Daniel makes, spread out and wanting in his bed, before turning and walking briskly back to the door and slamming it shut, locking it behind them.Unwittingly put under the influence of some powerful alien disinhibitors, Jack and Daniel give into the one thing they've spent their whole time together denying. Unfortunately the fallout has more far-reaching consequences than they might have expected.





	Inevitable

**Author's Note:**

> I don't really have a consistent beta in this fandom, so despite the fact that this piece probably could have used one, I'm posting as-is. Hope it's enjoyable!

It's easy, somehow, to sink under the spell of the drink. Jack barely notices at first, too used to denying his constant low-level attraction to Daniel to realize that it's gotten worse until he already has a lap full of archaeologist. By that time, he's too intoxicated and turned on himself to care. Daniel's all smiles and strength, alternately kissing at Jack's throat as he fists his hands in Jack's uniform and rolling his hips against Jack's while he smiles down at him, warmth in every line of his face. For a long time, Jack lets himself revel in the warmth of having everything he's ever wanted, and it lasts until Daniel traces his hand from Jack's shoulders down the length of his arm to intertwine their fingers, drawing Jack's hand up to his lips to kiss at his knuckles. Then the warmth turns to a deep, desperate sort of heat that only intensifies when Daniel draws two of Jack's fingers into his mouth, moaning around them as his eyes flutter closed.

Instantly, Jack is on his feet, hauling Daniel with him with a strength he doesn't quite recognize. "Well, Chancellor," he says, barely looking at the woman that had so graciously welcomed them to the planet, "I daresay Daniel and I will be retiring for the night."

"Of course, Colonel."

Jack glances at the Chancellor briefly, catching sight and making note of the amusement in her eyes. He files it away for later, though, as Daniel fists a hand in the hair at the base of Jack's skull and tips his head back, giving himself room to lean in to bite at the junction of neck and shoulder. He licks a slow line up Jack's throat and bites at his earlobe before whispering dark promises in his ear.

"Gonna ride you so hard, Jack. Fuck, I need you inside me. Please."

Jack nods once at the Chancellor before adjusting his grip on Daniel and making his way out of the banquet hall.

Daniel doesn't let up on the litany of desperately filthy words as they walk, and more than once Jack has to pause long enough to slam Daniel's back against the wall and kiss him until he can't breathe. Once he's certain Daniel will be quiet, at least briefly, Jack readjusts his grip and barrels his way down the next hall, refusing to release Daniel long enough for them to walk separately. It takes all his focus to keep moving as Daniel pants and whimpers against his throat, regaining his breath, and once he does, he leans up Jack's ear and the cycle begins again.

"Or maybe you want me to fuck you, hmm? Stretch you open on my tongue and fingers? Work you 'til you're begging me to fuck you and then take you apart with my dick? You want that? Hmm?"

This time Jack actually grabs the meat of Daniel's ass as he pins him to the wall, grinding his dick in the jut of Daniel's hip. "We'll see who's begging at the end of this," he whispers against Daniel's lips before kissing him deeply enough that Daniel can seem to find no breath to reply.

Jack draws back long enough to stagger the last twenty yards to his quarters. He fumbles the door open and crosses the room before all but throwing Daniel on the bed. He takes a brief moment to admire the sight Daniel makes, spread out and wanting in his bed, before turning and walking briskly back to the door and slamming it shut, locking it behind them.

When he turns around, Daniel's somehow managed to shed nearly all of his clothes save his t-shirt, as though he'd been too desperate to start jerking off to finish getting undressed. Jack's on him in an instant, slipping one hand beneath Daniel's where it's fisting his dick while he uses the other to pin both of Daniel's hands above his head. "Did I say you could start without me?" His voice comes as a low growl, but Daniel just whimpers, bucking up against Jack, straining against his hold. "Thought you could get away with that, hmm?"

"Thought I'd let you get a glimpse of what you're working with, _Colonel_ ," Daniel pants out, eyes dark as he looks down at Jack. "See if you're really man enough to take me."

Jack groans, thick and low, and his hand twitches around Daniel's wrists. He presses up, kissing Daniel deeply while his other hand works Daniel's dick slowly. "Yeah?" he asks, low and coy as he pulls back. "You think you've earned the right to fuck me?"

Daniel's grin is predatory. "I think you've spent the last few years wishing I'd pin you down and fuck you the way you deserve. The way you know only I can."

Jack shudders, tightening his grip on Daniel's wrist for an instant before releasing it entirely. "Keep those hands where they are and I might— _might_ , mind you—let you fuck me."

Daniel raises one eyebrow. "Sir, yes sir," he murmurs, and Jack has to bite his lip to keep from whimpering at the reaction that stirs in him. Then Jack's shoving Daniel's shirt up under his armpits before making his way down Daniel's body, kissing and biting at every stretch of unblemished skin before him. He can feel the way Daniel's writhing below him, but a quick glance shows his hands still firmly in place above his head. It puts a smirk on Jack's face, and he makes his way down to Daniel's dick all the more pleased at Daniel's rare compliance. He contemplates Daniel's dick—he's uncut, but Jack had known that already—and briefly considers teasing him before deciding that half the fun of their relationship has always been the way they barrel into things full speed ahead. With a smirk that he's pretty sure Daniel misses, Jack angles his head and swallows down as much of Daniel's dick as he can in one go.

Daniel gasps above him, and Jack barely manages to get his arm across Daniel's hips before they surge up against his hold, trying to get his dick as deep down Jack's throat as possible. Jack grins, drawing back far enough to rest just the head of Daniel's dick on his tongue as he looks up at Daniel. Daniel's pupils are blown wide, his muscles trembling with the struggle to hold back from just fucking Jack's throat. Jack grins up at Daniel from around his dick, and Daniel groans, falling back against the mattress, going boneless as he does. Jack just closes his lips around the head of Daniel's dick and hums in approval, relishing the way Daniel whimpers above him. He goes on working Daniel with his mouth and hand together in concert, feeling the tension slowly return from the effort of holding himself back.

"Jack," Daniel whimpers, and Jack knows what that means even before Daniel says it. "I'm gonna…."

Jack pulls off, grinning up at Daniel when he whines high in the back of his throat. "Come on now, Daniel. You don't think I'm gonna have all the fun, do you?"

Daniel glances down at him, eyes glittering in the dim light. "Oh?"

Jack just smirks, leaning up and letting his still-clothed weight rest on Daniel's chest to reach for the bedside table. "Wondered why they left this here," he says, chucking the bottle of fragrant oil to land lightly onto the pillow beside Daniel's head. "Warm it up, yeah?"

Daniel just groans underneath him, his hips bucking up against Jack's seemingly involuntarily. Jack can't shake the thought that if this was all it took to get Daniel to shut up for more than five minutes at a time he should've tried it a long time ago, but he ignores the thought in favor of stripping out of his gear, leaving it in a mess at the foot of the bed. When he turns back to Daniel, it's to see him staring appreciatively at Jack while he rubs his fingers together, warming the oil he'd spread over them. Jack just gives an answering groan, crawling back onto the bed, before frowning at the dark t-shirt Daniel's still wearing. He tugs at it questioningly, and Daniel shrugs. "Didn't seem that important."

Jack narrows his eyes. "Take it off."

Daniel smirks, wriggling out of it awkwardly using only his left hand so as to keep the oil in his right off of the fabric. The second he's managed to get the shirt off, he grabs Jack by the back of the neck, pulling him in close. "So. You gonna let me fuck you now?"

Jack shudders, but merely raises an eyebrow at Daniel. "I'll ask you again: you think you've earned it?"

Daniel's smirk widens, before he leans up to whisper in Jack's ear. "I think you think you can throw me off by keeping that damn façade in place when you and I both know you've been dying to have me inside you for years." Jack manages to avoid another shiver at that, but only just. "I think you're a man that knows what he wants and that you'd have been out that door the minute my clothes came off if you weren't all in."

"It's my bedroom," Jack tries weakly as he pulls back, but Daniel just grins up at him, desire clear on his lips. He leans up again, nipping at Jack's earlobe while he curls a possessive hand around the back of Jack's neck.

"I know. That's how I know you want it."

Jack doesn't question any further. He just grabs Daniel's hand and drags it back toward his ass. "Well then quit talkin' and start doing somethin' about it."

Jack has a brief view of Daniel's smirk before his attention is diverted to the twin sensations of Daniel's tongue in his mouth and Daniel's finger in his ass. Jack lets himself go loose at the feeling, sighing against Daniel's mouth. This only seems to make Daniel grow more urgent, his other hand fisting in Jack's hair as he goes on bruising Jack's lips with bites and kisses, giving Jack more sensation than he feels equipped to handle. He loses time between the first and third fingers, and somewhere in there Daniel had rolled him onto his back and started muttering obscene things all over again. "Look at you, so desperate for it. God, Jack, you're beautiful like this. So needy, and all mine. All mine."

Jack starts to open his mouth to protest, but Daniel just crooks his fingers inside him and he sees stars, losing the train of thought and giving himself over to sensation again.

"I bet you could come just from this, couldn't you? Just my fingers and my words, stripping you open and laying you bare. Owning you like this, like the needy little slut you are." There's a pause, and Jack can practically hear the wheels turning in Daniel's head, even if he can't seem to find the strength to lift his head to see them. "You'd do anything I told you, wouldn't you? Anything for me to get you off. You'd take my fingers, my dick, anything I wanted to put inside you. Because—" Daniel cuts himself off, and Jack squeezes his eyes closed because he knows the ending of that sentence, knows that Daniel knows it too, but certain that they both know that what they have here in the safety of this bed millions of light-years away from home is too precious, too fragile to risk everything they have in the light of day. Daniel swears, slipping his fingers out, and for a second, Jack wonders if this moment of clarity is going to steal this chance from them.

Then Daniel's leaning over him, a wild sort of desperation in his eyes, and Jack knows Daniel doesn't want to let this go any more than he does. Jack nods once, a silent permission, and Daniel clenches his eyes shut, shaking his head once.

"Condom?" he asks, voice scraping as though he's holding himself back by willpower alone. Jack winces, and Daniel sighs, dropping his head to rest his forehead against Jack's shoulder. "I don't have to—"

"I want you to," Jack cuts him off, and the thought occurs to him the second the words are out. He reaches up to lift Daniel's head from his shoulder and kisses him once before he whispers, "I'm clean."

Daniel's eyes go wide. "Jack—"

"I'm clean, Daniel. I swear, I wouldn't lie about—"

"I know, Jack, I trust—"

"I know. Me too."

Daniel clenches his eyes shut again, leaning forward and letting a sharp breath huff across Jack's chest. "You know this is a monumentally stupid idea."

_Worse than having sex with you in the first place?_ Jack brushes the thought off and chuckles, kissing at Daniel's temple. "It's me, Daniel. Of course it is."

Daniel pushes up, staring down at Jack with fire and clarity in his eyes. "You're not stupid, Jack. You just like it better when everyone thinks you are."

Jack lifts one shoulder in a shrug, neither confirming nor denying because he knows there's no need to. Daniel huffs again before shaking his head down at Jack.

"Aren't you even gonna ask?"

"If you're clean?" Jack just grins. "Nah. I read Fraiser's report after—"

"Okay, okay! More than I needed to know!"

Jack's grin widens, right up until Daniel rolls off of him and slips down between his legs. In a split second, the whole thing becomes just that much more real, and Jack feels his heart stutter in his chest. "Daniel—"

Daniel's face is warm and open, knowing in that way that Daniel has. "Jack, we don't have to—"

The implication is enough, and Jack surges up, kissing Daniel hard and deep. "I want to, Daniel. I want to."

Daniel smiles back, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips. "Then trust me, Jack."

"Always, Daniel. Always."

——

Jack wakes up in the morning sore in places he'd just as soon not think about with a brain still distinctly foggy from last night's drink, but also warm and content in a way he hasn't felt in years. He rolls over, propping himself up on one elbow to see the source of his contentment still asleep beside him, the sun filtering in through the wide windows casting his face in a heavenly sort of glow that Jack can't help but envy for the way it rests so close to Daniel's skin.

For a second, Jack doesn't dare break the warm quiet in the room, reveling in the sound of Daniel's even breathing and the slow, steady rise and fall of his chest. Soon enough, though, the sight isn't enough to distract from the need to touch, and he lays down beside Daniel, ghosting his fingers over Daniel's face. A small smile flits over Daniel's lips and Jack stills, wary of waking him and breaking the spell the room seems to have cast on them. When Daniel seems to have drifted back to sleep, Jack goes back to letting his fingertips trace the contours of Daniel's face, his calloused skin a strange counterpoint to the smoothness of Daniel's face. He gets so caught up in the warmth and feel of Daniel's skin that he actually misses the moment Daniel opens his eyes. When his gaze finally wanders back to Daniel's, Daniel is clearly awake and enjoying the moment just as much as Jack himself is. Encouraged, Jack smoothes his hand down the line of Daniel's throat before leaning in to kiss him. He can feel Daniel smiling against his lips, and the sensation just makes him want to burrow deeper into Daniel's body, into his soul, to own Daniel just as thoroughly as he is owned by Daniel.

They don't make love, finding more contentment in closeness than in any needs of the flesh. It's as though last night had found their deepest urges and given their bodies over to them, and now, having let those desires run free, only the warmth of post-coital bliss is left behind. Jack loses himself in Daniel, his taste and his scent and his touch, letting himself feel in a way that he never has before. Jack thinks they could spend forever like this and he might never bore of it, though he's certain Daniel would get restless eventually with his need to know and understand everyone and everything. Jack thinks he could be content to wait on Daniel the rest of his life, to protect him from anything and everything that might stand between him and the knowledge he seeks, and to come to his bed every night, so long as it meant they might never be separated. It seems a far-off dream, and yet one that he would do anything to have.

Daniel draws back, his eyes still closed and his lips half-parted. Jack lets himself revel in the sight before Daniel's eyes open. There's a laugh in them, and Jack feels himself smile in turn. "What?" Jack asks at a whisper, hardly daring to break the stillness of the room.

Daniel shakes his head. "Just… thinking." His voice is as soft as Jack's; softer, perhaps, from years on digs that begged reverence and respect.

"About?"

Daniel smiles. "You. Me. Us."

Jack feels his own smile widen as he pulls Daniel in close, tucking Daniel's head under his chin. "Us, huh? I like the sound of that."

Jack can feel Daniel's smile against his skin as he burrows even closer against Jack. "I do too. I was thinking that—"

The sound of the door opening takes both of them by surprise, and they turn to face it simultaneously. Carter comes storming in looking harried, though she stops short at the sight of the two of them together. She gapes briefly before shaking herself and crossing the room toward them, gesturing to the meek looking native behind her. Jack sits up fully, shielding Daniel from Carter's view. "Carter," he says curtly, not a little bit annoyed at her interruption. "Have you ever heard of knocking?"

"This couldn't wait, sir," she says, reaching for the goblet the native hands her and thrusting it into Jack's hands. "Drink that, sir."

"Carter—"

"Just trust me, sir," she says, reaching for a second goblet from the native. "You'll thank me later, I promise."

Jack shrugs, trusting his second-in-command implicitly and lifting the drink to his lips.

The shift is almost instantaneous. He runs through last night in vivid technicolor in his mind, suddenly realizing what must have happened.

He looks up at Carter. "Disinhibitors in the drinks?"

"So it would seem."

"And this?" he asks, gesturing with the cup.

"Counteracts the properties of the drug."

Jack nods, and goes to down the rest of the goblet before the scent of licorice hits his nose and the bitter taste to match hits the back of his throat. He feels his eyes go wide as he turns to Daniel, but it's too late, he's downing the drink before Jack can knock it out of his hands.

Jack knocks it away anyway and sees the moment Daniel's confusion shifts to shock and then to abject horror. "Jack—" he whispers, but Jack is already diving for his vest, grabbing the antihistamines he keeps in the pocket there. One glance sees the second serving pitcher on the tray the native is holding, and Jack grabs for it on automatic, taking a quick swig to ensure that it contains only water and hardly caring what he looks like.

He hands both to Daniel before asking the next crucial question. "Epipen?"

Daniel shakes his head as he downs the pills. "Used it last month; haven't had time to get it replaced."

Jack swears as his mind starts to work overtime, trying to come up with a solution. He turns to Carter, wondering if he looks as desperate as he feels. "Teal'c?"

"Still in his room, sir, I haven't—"

Jack shakes his head. "Go wake him, then dial the gate, and get a medical team on standby. We'll meet you there."

"Sir, what—"

"I'm pretty sure there was anise in that drink, Carter. It's one of his worst allergies."

Carter's eyes go wide, but to her credit she leaps to her feet, sprinting out the door without another word. Jack gets to his feet and throws on his clothes as fast as he can. He barely takes the time to get Daniel into his pants to give him some shred of decency before he hauls Daniel to his feet, out of the room, and down the hall toward the Stargate. They make it halfway there before Daniel starts to sag against him and another twenty paces before he slumps against Jack, giving up the pretense altogether. Jack bends to haul Daniel over his shoulder in a fireman's carry and moves as fast as he can the rest of the way to the gate. Teal'c is standing guard, and Jack barely takes the time to nod at him before barreling through the gate.

Fraiser is already there with her team, and Jack lowers Daniel onto the stretcher, relief palpable when Fraiser jabs the Epipen into Daniel's thigh. Then it's all sound and motion and the desperate fear in Jack's chest as he watches Daniel—his beautiful, brilliant, impossible Daniel—wheeled away toward the infirmary.

The second Daniel is out of sight, Jack feels the reality of what happened the night before crash down around him. He fights to stay upright as he and the rest of his team are guided toward the infirmary as well, and maneuvers himself toward Carter with an eye to trying to get an understanding of what happened.

She seems to know what he's thinking because she starts talking before he even opens his mouth. "The drink is designed to lower inhibitions. I believe their intent was to ascertain the validity of our overtures in entering into an alliance. However, it seems that…." She pauses here, glancing at Jack out of the corner of her eye. "It seems that there may have been some other… unintended effects on you and Daniel."

"But you and Teal'c made it through unscathed?"

"I presume Teal'c's symbiote protected him, and it affected me as well, just not as strongly."

Jack raises an eyebrow in question.

Carter blushes. "Are you really going to make me say it, sir?"

Jack sighs, rubbing a hand over his face. "No, I'm not. Guess we're gonna leave that part out of the official report."

"Which?" she asks, voice low. "The aphrodisiac effect or the fact that you and Daniel finally—"

"Don't," Jack says harshly, picking up the pace so he can slip into the infirmary ahead of her. He glances over toward where there's still a flurry of activity around what he presumes is Daniel's bed, and it tightens something in his chest. He lets himself be led to another section of the infirmary to go through his own evaluation, which he sits through as patiently as he can despite the fact that all he wants to do is go check on Daniel. Well, that, or draft his resignation because he's pretty sure there's no way he's going to be able to work with Daniel effectively now that he knows what he looks like when he comes.

Jack purses his lips as the nurse checks his vitals and gives cursory answers to her questions. One glance at Carter has him begrudgingly coming clean about the aphrodisiac effect of the disinhibitors, before biting out that no, he didn't have time to get samples given that a member of his team was going into anaphylactic shock. The nurse gives him a sympathetic look and pats his thigh reassuringly, ignoring the face Jack makes in her direction. She just smiles instead, pronouncing him fit for duty and signing off on his chart before making her way over to another patient. For his part, Jack lingers as long as he can reasonably get away with before Carter herself comes up to the infirmary to drag him down to debrief the general.

It's worth the reprimand Hammond gives him to have been in the infirmary long enough to see Fraiser step out from behind the curtain around Daniel's bed with relief in the lines of her face.

Still, it doesn't save Jack from the awkwardness of Hammond's relentless line of questioning about what they were exposed to on the planet. 

"Go through the last part for me again, Colonel."

Jack bites down on a groan. "General, please."

"I'm just a little fuzzy on the details still."

"With good reason, sir! I'd really rather not go into what I did while under the effects of a damn alien aphrodisiac!"

"Permission to speak freely, sir. Off the record."

Jack almost gets a crick in his neck from how fast he whips his head around to face Carter. "Carter," he hisses out, "what the hell are you—"

"Granted." Jack turns just as fast to face Hammond, who looks more concerned than anything.

"While I understand your concern about the potential strain to diplomatic relations with the people of PF9-582, I can assure you that any and all parties affected by the aphrodisiac were enthusiastic participants in any and all… sex acts that were performed."

Jack's pretty sure he could fry an egg on his face right now.

Hammond seems to be mulling this over, but a frown still mars his forehead. "How can you be sure, Major? You were only there for a few days." Carter just meets the general's eyes dead on without speaking a single word. Hammond raises an eyebrow before comprehension dawns on his face. "Ah."

Jack's pretty sure he just saw his whole career just flash before his eyes. Immediately he gets to his feet, standing at attention. "Sir, I'll be happy to draft my resignation immediately, but as for Dr. Jackson—"

"Stand down, son, I'm sure I don't know what you're on about. Resigning for being put unwittingly under the influence of an alien aphrodisiac? That hardly seems appropriate."

"Sir—" Jack begins, but Hammond waves him off.

"I won't hear another word of it, Jack. In fact, that sounds like quite the ordeal you all went through. I daresay you might want to go down to the infirmary and check on your teammate."

"Sir—" Jack starts again, but Carter grabs him by the elbow as she stands, effectively cutting him off.

"Thank you, sir," she says to the general, steering Jack out of the briefing room. "I think we'll do just that."

Jack twists his head around to stare at the general, who just gives a small smile and nod of what might be approval. Jack stumbles, and it's only Carter's iron grip on his arm that keeps him from pitching headfirst down the stairs.

Carter takes a moment to chat with the techs in the control room before steering Jack the rest of the way to the elevators. Teal'c's on their heels, and Jack hazards a glance in his direction to try to get a read on what he's thinking. His face is typically serene, but there's enough of a hint of a smile to make Jack confident that he's also in on whatever Carter and the general are playing at.

In the privacy of the elevator, Jack shakes Carter's grip off, turning to her with betrayal stirring in his gut. "What the hell was that, Major?"

"That was me trying to make sure you didn't ruin your career over something the general and I along with virtually the entire base all see eye-to-eye on."

"And what exactly would that be?"

"That what you and Daniel Jackson share is not in direct violation of any regulation and should in fact be honored and celebrated."

Jack turns to stare at Teal'c, feeling desperately wrongfooted. " _What?_ "

"Colonel," Carter begins, and then, a bit softer, "Jack. Look. Everyone with eyes can see that Daniel's the most important person in the world to you. It's never disrupted your judgment in the field and anyone that's ever been on mission with you can confirm that. Believe me, we've had to." Jack's gut lurches uncomfortably, and for a second he thinks he's going to be sick. Carter claps a reassuring hand onto his shoulder, and the sensation subsides just slightly. "Sir, you've done more in service of country and planet than anyone could ever have reasonably asked of you. What would that make us, your closest friends, if we didn't honor what you won't even admit to yourself that you want?"

"How do you—"

"They were disinhibitors before they were aphrodisiacs, Colonel. You think we don't know what it means that you took Daniel to your bed last night? It's the one thing you've denied yourself for years and years. Why deny it any longer?"

Jack closes his eyes, suddenly unsure if he has an answer.

The elevator door opens, and for a second Jack can't make himself move. But then Teal'c's hand is at his shoulder and Carter's is at his elbow and taking a step forward seems like the only reasonable thing to do.

Fraiser is all smiles when they make their way into the infirmary, and Jack feels his knees go weak with relief. "He's awake, Colonel, and I'm confident he'll be just fine. You got him here just in time."

"How bad was it?"

"The anaphylaxis was severe, and if you'd delayed any longer there likely would have been enough fluid in his lungs to make this a much trickier operation. But he said you recognized the allergen in time to keep him from ingesting any more and then got him here immediately. You saved his life, Colonel."

Jack shakes his head. "It shouldn't have been an issue in the first place," he mutters. He can practically hear Carter rolling her eyes next to him, but he ignores it, glancing around Fraiser toward Daniel's bed. "Can we see him?"

Fraiser just smiles and steps out of the way.

For a moment, Jack is struck with that same sense of immobility again. That feeling of being unable to move forward, and yet unwilling to step back. Then Carter and Teal'c are easing him forward. He stumbles slightly, but lets them lead him anyway. When they step around the curtain surrounding Daniel's bed, Jack can't ignore the swell of relief in his chest at the sight of Daniel's eyes, blue and bright and open, or the smile on his lips when he sets those beautiful eyes on them.

Daniel shifts slightly, smiling up at them. "Hey guys." Jack can hear the hoarseness in his voice and has to fight a wince at the sound.

"Hey Daniel." Carter's voice is warm and relieved and Jack feels something in his chest tighten at the tone. "How're you doing?"

"Oh, you know," Daniel answers, looking a little wry. "Been better. But I've been worse too, so I'm counting my blessings right now."

"It is good to see you well, Daniel Jackson."

"Thanks, Teal'c. I hear you weren't affected by the disinhibitors?"

"So it would seem."

Daniel's smile twitches slightly, and Jack doesn't miss the way those blue eyes slant toward him for the space of a heartbeat.

Carter doesn't seem to miss it either. "Well then, we'll leave you in the colonel's capable hands," she says, and Jack can't fight the flush he feels rising in his neck. "Good to see you alive and well, Daniel." Then she and Teal'c are stepping out of the infirmary, leaving Jack frozen at Daniel's bedside.

Daniel watches the rest of their team go, but doesn't turn to face Jack. Jack's tempted to take that as a sign to follow Carter and Teal'c out of the infirmary, but the second he shifts his weight in that direction, Daniel's eyes are on him, razor sharp and laser bright. It stops Jack in his tracks.

"Going somewhere?"

Jack rubs a hand over his face just to give himself a moment to breathe under Daniel's piercing gaze. "Not if you don't want me to."

"I don't."

Jack sighs shakily before lowering himself into the chair at Daniel's bedside. "So, what. We need to talk about this?"

"Not necessarily right now, and certainly not here. But at some point, yes, we should."

Jack looks away, his hands clasped tightly between his knees. "I dunno, Daniel. I think if you let me slither out of this now I might never give you another chance."

"The general?" Daniel guesses.

"Wouldn't accept my resignation," Jack says, feeling the wry smile on his lips.

That seems to get Daniel's attention. "You tried to resign?"

"Well you see, Daniel, we have this little thing in the Air Force called—"

"I know all about Don't Ask, Don't Tell," Daniel hisses, his voice lower than Jack's as he cuts him off. "I've certainly been on the military payroll long enough. I just fail to see how being under the influence of an alien aphrodisiac—"

"Disinhibitor, Daniel. An alien disinhibitor."

Daniel waves him off. "Technically, sure, but it's obvious that you were—"

"Obvious to whom, Daniel?"

Daniel freezes, turning to Jack with wide eyes. "What?"

"Come on, Daniel. I know I've been willfully ignorant of a lot of things, but there's now way you're that oblivious."

Daniel swallows, eyes wide and looking caught.

Jack looks away, rubbing a hand through his hair and getting to his feet. "Never mind, it's obviously upsetting you, just forget I—"

Daniel reaches out to grab Jack by the wrist. Jack freezes, held in place by the weakened, shaking grip. "Wait, Jack. Just. Just wait. Give me a chance to process this."

When Jack laughs, it's dry and mirthless. "Trust me, Daniel, I'm having a hard time with this myself."

Daniel tugs at his wrist, and Jack lets himself drop back into his chair, meeting Daniel's eyes head on. Jack can feel the nervous energy humming between them, desperate and hopeful. Jack turns his hand in Daniel's grip and laces their fingers together. Daniel stares down at their joined hands while Jack stares at the disbelief in his face. After a long moment, Daniel looks up at Jack, fear and wonder warring in his eyes. "Your career—"

"Let me worry about my career, Daniel."

Daniel shakes his head. "Jack—"

"Trust me, Daniel, I'm as scared as you are. But… sources have led me to believe it may not be in as much jeopardy as I may have thought."

"Yeah, but I'm not worth—"

"You are, Daniel. You're worth all that and more, I swear to you."

Daniel shakes his head, eyes wide and pupils dilated in fear. "Jack—"

Jack reaches out with his free hand, resting it against Daniel's cheek to still him. "Daniel. I only want you to worry about one thing. Is this something you want?"

Daniel's tongue slips out to wet his lips and Jack has to fight to keep his eyes on Daniel's. "I guess… I guess that depends on what's on the table."

Jack feels an icy hand wrap around his stomach. But if there's one thing he knows, it's Daniel, and he's pretty sure they're on the same page about this, even if they haven't talked about it. He drops his hand from Daniel's face but doesn't drop his gaze. "I'm not a casual guy, Daniel. I never have been. If we're going to do this, it's going to have to be serious. Exclusive. You and me, 'til death and all that. If that's not what you want—"

"It is." Jack clenches his eyes shut at Daniel's words, but Daniel reaches out to mirror Jack's position just a moment before, one hand on his cheek. "It is, Jack. You're it for me. It scares me half to death because I've lost everything and everyone I've ever loved, but… but you're it for me. I trust you, and I trust this. More than anything I've ever trusted in my whole life before this. I trust you."

Jack bows his head, his heart clenching in his chest, but Daniel's hand doesn't move away. Choking on his guilt and fear and hope, Jack turns his head, pressing a kiss to Daniel's palm. "I can't promise—"

"I know. I can't either. But I'll try, Jack, and I know you will too."

"Daniel—"

"Please, Jack. This has to have happened for a reason. Let's just… let's trust that."

Jack swallows, his chest tight and aching with nerves and fear. Then, slowly, he nods. "Alright." He feels the beginnings of a smile on his lips. "Alright, Daniel. Alright." When he opens his eyes, Daniel's answering smile is brilliant and blinding, and it takes all Jack's strength to just lean forward and press his forehead to Daniel's instead of his lips. "Alright."

"Good." Daniel's face is still lined with pain and nerves, but there's a vibrancy there that hadn't been present when Jack had walked in. "Then why don't we see if Janet will let me out of here a little early so you can take me home and take care of me."

Jack laughs, the sound almost punched out of him. "Easy, tiger. You were in some pretty serious danger just a few hours ago. Are you sure—"

"I'm sure that the only thing I need right now is time, and I know you're just as good a caretaker as Janet." Then, with a smirk, Daniel leans in to whisper in Jack's ear. "Maybe better."

Jack draws back with a laugh. A glance at the angle of the security camera makes him brave enough to lift their still-clasped hands to his lips and press a kiss to Daniel's knuckles. "If you're sure."

Daniel's eyes are shining when Jack looks up to meet them. "I am. About so much more than just this."

Jack's throat goes tight at the implication, but he nods. "Alright. I'll go see what the good doctor has to say."

"Good. Oh, and Jack," Daniel adds as Jack gets to his feet. Jack turns back to catch a smirk on Daniel's lips and a promise in his eyes. "Better be quick about it, hmm?"

Jack can't remember the last time he moved this fast in the infirmary. There's promises and then there's _promises_ , and Jack plans on ensuring Daniel makes good on his.

**Author's Note:**

> [Come hang with me on tumblr!](http://hollyandvice.tumblr.com/)


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